County Expected To Drop Vendor Ordinance

March 25, 1985|By Kevin W. Betz, Staff Writer

After more than six months of controversy, a roadside vendors ordinance likely will be ditched this week by Palm Beach County Commissioners.

The ordinance, which was approved in September, was declared only a month later to be too vague to hold up in court by the county attorney`s office. Nevertheless, until late January the Palm Beach County Sheriff`s Office was enforcing the rule, upsetting many vendors.

Sheriff Richard Wille decided to suspend enforcement on Jan. 29 at the request of county commissioners.

``Not enough thought went into how it would be implemented,`` said Estelle Friedman, vendors association president.

Friedman, County Commissioner Jerry Owens and Assistant County Attorney Richard Graddock are part of a committee assigned to study other possibilities.

The issue is mainly over safety. The ordinance, which will be up for a final vote to repeal it Tuesday, required vendors to be licensed. It states vendors are to be a set distance from intersections and carry insurance against road damage and other mishaps. The county engineer`s office was to approve locations for the vendors based on safety standards.

Even if the ordinance is rescinded, however, the sheriff`s office can continue to force vendors to move from their roadside locations if officers decide there is a traffic hazard.

The ordinance also limited the number of vendors at each location and the type of products to be sold: agricultural and processed foods.

The county has been waiting for court action relating to a vendor ordinance in Dade County that limits roadside stands to various zones, according to Graddock, who said that type of ordinance may be an option for Palm Beach County.

``We have a number of alternatives,`` Graddock said. ``But this county is a lot different than Dade. There are a bigger range of interests. You`ve got millionaires on the east and agricultural areas on the west.``

Graddock said a new ordinance will be in the works within the next couple of weeks.